The first rays of morning sunlight cut through the glass walls as Lana walked into the bustling lobby of Meridian Pharmaceuticals. Her footsteps echoed sharply on the polished marble floor, a cardboard box of her personal belongings in her arms.
"Hold it right there!"
A sharp, arrogant voice rang out. Whitney Sterling, Wayne’s younger sister, marched over from the reception desk, flanked by two uncomfortable-looking security guards. She crossed her arms, blocking Lana’s path to the revolving doors.
"Look everyone," Whitney announced loudly, drawing the attention of the arriving employees. "The fired thief is trying to sneak out."
Lana stopped, her expression as cold as ice. "These are my personal effects, Whitney. Get out of my way."
"Company policy," Whitney smirked, stepping uncomfortably close. "We can't have a bitter ex-employee stealing Meridian's confidential data, can we? Search her box."
Before the guards could move, the VIP elevator chimed. Wayne stepped out, looking immaculate in his tailored suit. Clinging tightly to his arm was Jessica, wearing a soft, oversized cashmere sweater that subtly highlighted her supposedly fragile state.
"What's going on here?" Wayne demanded, his voice laced with unquestionable authority.
"Wayne!" Jessica immediately put on her sickeningly sweet, worried face. She tugged at his sleeve. "Please, let Lana go. Even if she took some office supplies, it's fine. She lost her job and her fiancé... she's just acting out of grief. We shouldn't humiliate her in front of everyone."
Wayne looked down at Lana from the top of the marble steps, his eyes full of condescending pity. "Jessica is too kind for her own good. But Meridian is a professional company. Whitney, check the box. If she didn't steal anything, she has nothing to hide."
"Gladly!" Whitney didn't even wait for the guards. She violently swatted the cardboard box out of Lana’s hands.
Crash!
The box hit the floor. Pens, notebooks, and a framed photo of Wayne and Lana scattered across the marble. The glass frame shattered into pieces.
Whitney deliberately stepped on the photo, grinding her designer heel right into Lana's printed face. "Oops. Trash belongs in the trash."
Lana just stood there, her spine perfectly straight, watching this family of parasites perform their circus act.
Then, Whitney’s eyes caught a thick, blue folder lying among the mess. She snatched it up with a triumphant gasp. "Aha! I knew it! What's this, Lana? Stealing our core formulas to sell to a competitor?"
Wayne frowned, taking a step forward. "Lana, you're crossing the line. Give that back, and I won't press charges."
Lana looked at the blue folder in Whitney’s hands. A slow, chilling smile spread across her lips. It was a smile so devoid of warmth that it made Wayne’s stomach inexplicably drop.
"You really want that folder, Whitney?" Lana asked softly. "Be my guest."
"Don't play mind games with me!" Whitney sneered. To prove her absolute dominance, she gripped the thick folder and violently ripped it in half. The sound of tearing paper was deafening in the suddenly quiet lobby.
Not satisfied, Whitney tore the halves again, throwing the shredded paper into the air like confetti. "You take nothing from my brother's company, you leech!"
Jessica sighed softly, leaning her head on Wayne’s shoulder. "Lana, you brought this on yourself..."
Lana let out a low, genuinely amused laugh. She looked at Wayne, her piercing gaze locking onto his.
"Wayne," Lana said, her voice echoing clearly through the lobby. "Do you know what your brilliant sister just destroyed?"
Wayne’s confident facade wavered. "What was it?"
"That was the single-copy, original annex to the Delta Lab licensing agreement," Lana said smoothly, every word dropping like an anvil. "It contained the proprietary synthesis formula for Meridian's flagship drug. The one registered under my name. The one that legally validates your entire production line."
The lobby went dead silent. Even the receptionist stopped typing. Everyone knew Delta Lab was the only reason Meridian had any value.
Whitney blinked, her arrogant smirk freezing. "You... you're lying!"
Lana ignored her. She pulled her phone from her designer purse, dialed a number, and put it on speaker.
"Greg," Lana commanded, her voice radiating absolute, untouchable authority.
"Standing by, Miss Day," the Vice President of Delta Lab answered instantly, his respectful tone echoing through the phone's speaker.
"The original annex has been destroyed by Meridian's management," Lana said, her eyes fixed on Wayne’s rapidly paling face. "The contract is officially void. Release the termination notice to the press. Notify all of Meridian's venture capital investors. I want their stock dead in the water before the market opens."
"Understood, Miss Day. Releasing the legal notice now."
Lana hung up.
The color completely drained from Wayne’s face. His arrogance, his superiority, his disgust—all of it shattered into absolute, raw panic.
"Lana... Lana, wait!" Wayne shoved Jessica aside, ignoring her startled yelp, and stumbled down the marble steps. "Who did you call? Miss Day?! What the hell is going on?!"
Lana put on her sunglasses, shielding her eyes from the morning sun. "You fired a 'cold machine', Wayne. But you forgot that this machine built your entire empire. Consider this my severance package."
"No, no, no!" Wayne dropped to his knees on the marble floor. His hands shook violently as he frantically clawed at the shredded pieces of the blue folder, desperately trying to piece them back together. "Whitney, you idiot! What did you do?!"
Whitney stood frozen, trembling in terror as she realized she had just single-handedly bankrupted her brother’s company.
Lana didn't spare them another glance. She stepped over the shattered glass and walked out through the revolving doors.
As she stepped into the bright morning light, her phone buzzed.
Greg: [It's done. Check the news.]
